Cruel: Craig Curtis, 27, has been jailed for 18 weeks after he battered his dog with a baseball bat because it urinated on the floor

A cruel dog owner hanged his six-month-old puppy by its collar and then beat it to death with a baseball bat because it had wet the carpet, a court heard.

In what the RSPCA say is one of the most shocking cases they've seen, Craig Curtis, 27, strung Staffordshire bull terrier Bruno from his weightlifting bench after the pup urinated on the floor.

Curtis has been jailed after he 'went ballistic' and battered the tiny dog, then put its lifeless body in his freezer before dumping him later in nearby woodland.

Cambridge Magistrates’ Court heard Bruno’s body was found wrapped in blood-stained sheets by a dog walker who immediately called the RSPCA.

Officers traced the tragic pet back to Curtis, who lives in Exning, Suffolk, who was then arrested and charged.

He has pleaded guilty to cruelty charges under the Animal Welfare Act.

Sentencing him to 18 weeks in jail, magistrate Phil King said: 'Mr Starr [prosecuting] has described this as one of the worst cases he has ever seen and the bench must agree with him having seen the photographs.

'This is absolutely appalling. You are shaking your head and I think you agree with me.'

Curtis’ crime was uncovered when Bruno, a male brindle and white Staffordshire bull terrier was found in the woods on March 25 this year.